2019 Dakar Rally Schedule & Route
As the 41st edition of the Dakar Rally nears, the organizers have released some official initial information.
The 2019 Dakar Rally, the endurance off-road event coined as the “world’s toughest race,” will take place in South America once again. But this time the entire event will occur in Peru, beginning and ending in the Lima, the country’s capital.
The dates for this year’s race are January 6-17. The rally features 10 stages, one marathon stage (no pit crews allowed) and two rest days.
In total, the riders will ride just over 3,100 miles, with nearly 1,900 of those timed specials and 1,200 non-race travel. And 70% of the action will take place in the sand dunes of Peru.
From Lima, the grid will head south, covering the coastal region with stages in Pisco, San Juan de Marcona and Arequipa – places already visited during the 2018 Dakar Rally, which was won by KTM’s Matthias Walkner.
The crucial Marathon stage will occur in Moquequa before the riders arrive to Arequipa for the rest day. From there, riders head back to Lima after taking on San Juan de Marcona and Pisco.
Ahead of the 2019 Dakar Rally, riders will get some much-needed practice in a few events, including:
- Atacma Rally in Chile (FIM Cross Countries Championship)
- Desafio Ruta 40 Rally in Argentina (FIM Cross Countries Championship)
- Inca Challenge in Peru (Dakar Series event)
Last year’s Dakar Rally traveled through three countries – Peru, Bolivia and Argentina – and took riders nearly 5,200 miles in 14 stages, which included two marathon stages where riders could not use their pit crews.
When the 2018 Rally completed, Red Bull KTM 450 Rally pilot Walkner only won a single stage, but his consistent top results resulted in victory. It was a record-breaking one for KTM also; the Austrian brand claimed 17-straight Dakar Rally victories.
Claiming the bulk of those wins for KTM were Marc Coma (now retired) and Cyril Despres (racing cars); both earned five victories each.
Joining Walkner on the 2018 Dakar Rally podium were Monster Energy Honda Team’s Kevin Benavides and Red Bull KTM’s Toby Price.
2019 Dakar Rally Schedule
Date | Stage | Place |
6 January | Starting ramp | Lima |
7 January | Stage 1 | Lima – Pisco |
8 January | Stage 2 | Pisco – San Juan de Marcona |
9 January | Stage 3 | San Juan de Marcona – Arequipa |
10 January | Stage 4 | Arequipa – Moquegua |
11 January | Stage 5 | Moquegua – Arequipa |
12 January | Rest Day | Arequipa |
13 January | Stage 6 | Arequipa – San Juan de Marcona |
14 January | Stage 7 | San Juan de Marcona – San Juan de Marcona |
15 January | Stage 8 | San Juan de Marcona – Pisco |
16 January | Stage 9 | Pisco – Pisco |
17 January | Stage 10 | Pisco – Lima |